We have wanted to do a thorough explore of the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest. We hit the Methuselah Trail, a 4.5 mile loop at 10,000 ft. elevation. We have never hiked at this altitude before. What a sense of accomplishment and awe!

This trail led us through the oldest known living trees in the world, described as "Ancient Sentinels". The Great Basin Bristlecone Pines have been around for over 11,000 years and many in this forest have been growing here are over 3,000 years. What history.



The views were breathtaking (or was it the 10,000 ft elevation?)


These tress, many of which are thousands of years old, have been sculpted by wind, ice and extreme exposure to the elements. They appear as works of art, to be appreciated for their uniqueness and beauty. We really were in awe of it all.


As we traversed the forest, we were armed with a descriptive guidebook. There were 24 stops with informative lessons for us (and great opportunities for us to catch our breath). #19 told us about growth rings. The Bristlecones were made famous for their age, but they are most important to science because of their ability to record climate changes, unlike a tree that may grow next to a stream and have the same amount of available moisture each year. These ancients' sensitive nature gives scientists records of the past. This piece cut is dated from 1000 BC to 650 AD. The growth rings are very hard to see because they are very thin. An inch may contain 100 to 300 growth rings. We found this so interesting.
In our guidebook, there were sections called... Did you know? Did you know that bluebirds are not really blue? The structure of their feathers reflects blue light. If a bluebird flies overhead between you and the sun, it will look brown.

It is known that the oldest trees survive in the most difficult situations. This was kind of a profound thought, while meandering. One of the momisms I have always said to my sons was, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger" is certainly true of these majestic trees. What a special opportunity for us to explore, learn and appreciate.